This invention relates generally to a paper web routing control system for rotary press, and more particularly to a paper web routing control system for rotary press having a printing system in which a plurality of printing machines sets are arranged, in which portions constituting common paper web courses in a paper web routing section where paper web routes ranging from paper web feeding sections to folding sections can be built freely can be controlled by printing machine sets that use the common paper web routes.
In a rotary press having a printing system comprising a plurality of printing sections, various types of automatic paper web threading mechanism ranging from paper web feeding sections to folding sections via printing sections have so far been proposed, as disclosed in Japan Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei-3 (1991)-162353, for example. An outline of the prior-art mechanism and control method will be described in the following.
In the aforementioned automatic paper web threading mechanism, a guide rail constituting a paper web threading guide is installed on each automatic paper web threading route ranging from paper web feeding sections to folding sections via printing sections. The guide rail has two guide members opposing each other and separated vertically; with a gap between the guide members being formed slightly larger than the thickness of a paper web threading belt, which will be described later. The paper web threading belt is mounted so as to be slidably transported between the aforementioned gap.
In the middle of the guide rail provided are pairs of upper and lower driving rollers at appropriate intervals. By driving these driving rollers by drive motors, the paper web threading belt constituting a paper web threading member is transported along the guide rail.
At the tip of the paper web threading belt transported along the guide rail mounted is a paper web feeding section paper web retaining member, called an attachment. Control is effected so that the attachment comes at the leading edge of the guide rail of the paper web feeding section.
As the attachment comes at the leading edge of the guide rail of the paper web feeding section, the operator pastes the tip of the paper roll to the attachment. As the paper web threading belt is then transported toward the folding section, the tip of the paper web is also moved toward the folding section along with the attachment.
In a printing system comprising a plurality of printing sections, complicated combinations of paper web routes ranging from the paper web feeding sections to the folding sections are possible, so a plurality of branch/merge points are provided in the paper web routes. In particular, the branch/merge points on the paper web routes are such that destinations can be selected by manipulating the branch/merge points by means of hydraulic cylinders. Selection of destinations is effected by a control circuit section in accordance with paper web routing patterns.
Furthermore, which of the multiple drive motors disposed on complicated paper web routes is to be driven in which direction is also judged by the control circuit section in accordance with the paper web routing patterns.
Moreover, sensors for confirming the arrival of the attachment are provided at the start point of the guide rail in the paper web feeding section and at the end point of the guide rail in the folding section to stop the drive motor upon arrival of the attachment.
Which of the arrival sensors is to be used to detect the arrival of the attachment is also determined by the control circuit section in accordance with a paper web routing pattern.
Operating buttons for controlling forward feeding, reverse feeding or stopping the paper web threading belt are provided at positions adjacent to each paper web feeding section, folding section and paper web route. By operating the operating buttons, in accordance with a paper web routing pattern, the paper web threading belt being transported is operated continuously operating the paper web threading belt being transported, starting from the start point of the paper web feeding section via paper web route according to the paper web route pattern to the end point of the folding section. That is, different drive motors and sensors being operated are selected and operated for different paper web routing pattern. All this is judged in the control circuit section in accordance with the paper web routing pattern.
As described above, selection of multiple drive motors, sensors, branch/merge points, control buttons, etc. is judged and these input/output signals are controlled in accordance with paper web routing patterns by the control circuit section in a single printing machine set having paper web routes ranging from a plurality of paper web feeding sections via the respective printing sections thereof to the folding sections.
The configuration of printing machines does not necessarily consists of a single set, but generally consists of a plurality of sets. In such a case, each printing machine set has a control unit for a paper web threading device taking charge of each set. There exist common course portions in which one printing machine set shares a paper web route with other sets.
Heretofore, however, these common course portions are controlled exclusively by a specific control unit, making it impossible for other control units to independently control the common course portions. This results in poor workability.
There can be other system configurations in which control circuits for a plurality of printing machine sets are housed in a single control unit so that both the printing machine sets and the common course portions are controlled by the control unit. With this configuration, however, should the control unit fail, all the printing machine sets are become inoperative, increasing the adverse effects of the failure of the control unit. Furthermore, when expanding the configuration of printing machine sets, the control unit has also to be remodelled substantially.